Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater: Press Release

Critically Acclaimed Drama RED Breaks Arena Stage Record to Become Best-Selling Non-Musical in Company’s History

Edward Gero as Mark Rothko and Patrick Andrews as Ken in the 2011 Goodman Theatre production of Red. Directed by Robert Falls. Photo by Liz Lauren.

(Washington, D.C.) As of Saturday, February 18, 2012 John Logan’s Tony Award-winning drama Red, under the direction of Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Robert Falls,becomes the highest-grossing non-musical in Arena Stage’s 61-year history. The production, which is produced in association with Goodman Theatre, features four-time Helen Hayes Award winner and D.C.-based actor Edward Gero as abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko and noted Chicago actor Patrick Andrews as Rothko’s fictional assistant Ken.

Red continues through March 11, 2012 in the Kreeger Theater. Tickets are still available at arenastage.org or by calling 202-488-3300.

“It’s wonderful when a production hits the zeitgeist of the moment, and Red is it for our audiences,” says Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith. “Perhaps it’s because we are a museum town, but even more so I believe it’s the uncompromising quality of Robert Falls’ production with two outstanding actors in Edward Gero and Patrick Andrews.”

What critics are saying:

“Immensely enjoyable … Eloquently reminds us of a joy we rarely get to see: the artist consumed by the everyday physical demands of his work.” – Washington Post

“Red does exactly what Rothko made each painting do—it pulsates. And the play’s impact reverberates long after the curtain calls.” – Baltimore Sun

A visceral, “superbly taut” (Chicago Tribune) battle of wills, Red drops you squarely inside the world of painter Mark Rothko and sets your heart pounding. At the height of his career, Rothko struggles with a series of grand-scale paintings for New York’s elite Four Seasons restaurant. When his new assistant challenges his artistic integrity, Rothko must confront his own demons or be crushed by the ever-changing art world he helped create.

Red started making headlines during its run in Chicago last fall when Mayor Rahm Emanuel declared opening night “Paint the Town Red Day,” and popular demand for the show led to the Goodman adding a weeklong extension of performances. The success of the Chicago run also generated demand in D.C., contributing to Red becoming the first-ever Arena Stage production to add performances before previews began. As the newest highest-grossing non-musical in Arena’s history, Red surpasses another production from a Chicago theater stalwart—Mary Zimmerman’s production of The Arabian Nights, which claimed the spot last season during its run in the larger Fichandler Stage space.

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About EG

Edward Gero, an American actor, most noted for his stage work, is a four-time Helen Hayes Award recipient and fifteen-time Helen Hayes Nominee. He just completed a run at Shakespeare Theater Company as Henry IV in parts 1&2. He has appeared as Mark Rothko in "RED" at Goodman Theater in Chicago and Arena Stage, and as Gloucester in "King Lear" with Stacy Keach at Goodman and the Shakespeare Theatre, both directed by Robert Falls. Other regional credits include Nixon in "Nixon's Nixon," Salieri in "Amadeus" at Roundhouse Theater, Sweeney in "Sweeney Todd" at Signature Theatre, Donny in "American Buffalo" at Studio Theatre, and for the last six years, Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol" at Washington's historic Ford's Theatre. In 31 seasons In Washington, he has played 75 Shakespearean roles at STC including Hotspur in "Henry IV" (Helen Hayes Award), Bolingbroke in "Richard II" (Helen Hayes Award) and Macduff in "Macbeth"(Helen Hayes Award). Film and television credits include House of Cards, Turn: Washington's Spies, Die Hard II, Striking Distance, and narrations for The Discovery Channel and PBS. He is an Associate Professor of Theater and Head of the Performance Area for the School of Theater at George Mason University, and instructor for the Academy for Classical Acting at George Washington University Mr. Gero was featured on the cover of The Washington Post Magazine and profiled in the January 2011 American Theater Magazine.

2 Responses to RED: Box Office History at Arena Stage

“Red” is what theater can and should be, but rarely is. Primal, funny simple, complex, rich, often like a punch to the jaw. Rarely have I wanted to buy a ticket to another performance as I left the theater: with “Red” I did. Gero and Andrews are fabulous; the play sizzles with provocative energy. Thanks, Arena, for bringing “Red” here.